Century Club: George Hernandez

Slow start to the year, but sailing weather is finally here. 

Sailed north to Buckroe Beach before making a pass back through Mill Creek then over to Willoughby Bay. A pleasant warm day, but a layer of cirrus moved in late afternoon cutting sunlight and making the NE breeze feel quite cool. In spite of a forecasted low around 50 it was a pleasant night anchored out.

Although sometimes I just let the winds and current take me, frequently I set some sort of goal for the day. On this day it was just to sail across the channel into Willoughby Bay. On the way over I spotted Rick Natello and his Freedom 25 in the distance. New goal, catch him for an impromptu photo shoot.

While I was slowly gaining on him, it wasn't until he turned south and I could steer an intercept course. I got quite a few shots of him and he was able to photograph me. We sailed alongside as we entered Willoughby Bay on the Swells Point channel before I turned back towards Fort Monroe.

Just as it says. Motoring out so I could back the boat back in after being unable to accomplish this the day before...

I'll figure out a reliable system for backing in all Wx conditions eventually!

With the unusually cold and breezy weather I had to jump at the chance to get in a little on the water time. Light south winds were forecast to increase later in the afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front the following day. As I am still struggling with backing the boat into its slip I stayed close to avoid the complications a gusty breeze would bring. I have a cat rigged sailboat, and with its large mast positioned so far forward it acts like a wind vane pushing the bow. I'm slowly building my skills backing the boat and a plan for dealing with a variety of wind directions and intensity as well as tidal current within the marina. 

My initial technique was drive forward into the marina, pass my fairway as the boat coasted almost to a stop. Then angle to offset the propwalk before shifting into reverse. This worked most of the time. However, particularly with an east wind, with the combination of propwalk and wind vane effect I was unable to control the boat in the narrow area available. The solution to this that has worked a few times is to get the boat backing outside ot the marina so I have sufficient water movement over the fin keel and rudder before entering the marina from the opposite direction.

I usually have enought fuel to do this until the sun comes up so as long as I never hit anything or anybody else...

Images are infrared 720nm